Find the problem before it finds you.

What internal audit does for a UAE business

An internal audit looks at how your business actually runs: who can approve payments, whether inventory counts match the ledger, how supplier prices are checked, whether VAT is being recovered correctly, whether staff can create and pay a vendor without a second signature. It then measures the gap between how things should work and how they do, and ranks the risks so management can fix the important ones first.

For owner managed companies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai the result is usually direct: fewer leakages, cleaner year end audits, faster bank facility approvals and a stronger position in tenders that ask about governance.

What we review

• Financial controls: authorisation, segregation of duties, bank and cash handling, reconciliations
• Procurement and payables: vendor onboarding, three way matching, price checks, duplicate payments
• Revenue and receivables: credit control, billing accuracy, collections, bad debt
• Inventory and fixed assets: counts, valuation, custody, disposals
• Payroll and HR: ghost employees, WPS compliance, end of service accruals
• Tax compliance: VAT treatment, corporate tax records, transfer pricing documentation
• IT and access: system permissions, backups, change control

Reasons your company should regularly conduct internal audits

A good internal audit safeguards your assets, reduces the risk of fraud and builds confidence in your numbers, while keeping the business compliant with UAE laws and regulations.

• Resets standards and criteria so long-term goals are measurable and gaps are closed
• Shows the current condition of the business and where it falls short of the rules
• Highlights weaknesses that can be fixed before they affect results
• Improves staff performance through training on controls and systems
• Keeps performance on track while meeting regulatory requirements

How an engagement runs

We start with a risk assessment workshop with owners and managers, then agree an audit plan that focuses on the areas with the highest likelihood and impact of loss. Fieldwork uses walkthroughs, sample testing and data analysis of your accounting system. The final report gives each finding a rating, the root cause, the business impact and a recommended fix with an owner and a date. We follow up on implementation if you want us to.

Outsourced internal audit function

Companies that need regular coverage but not a full time internal auditor retain ZS on a quarterly or annual programme. You get a rolling plan, periodic reports to the board or owners, and a team that already knows your systems. It is usually far cheaper than a hire and gives the independence a staff member cannot.

When to book an internal audit

Before a major bank facility, before selling or bringing in an investor, after rapid growth or a change in finance staff, after a suspected fraud, or when the external auditor's management letter keeps repeating the same points. Read more on timing an internal audit in the UAE.